PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Social Affairs organized the opening ceremony of the 5th Asia-Pacific Community-Based Inclusive Development Congress (AP-CBID), under the theme "Strengthening the Social and Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities During and After the Covid-19 Pandemic Through Community-Based Inclusive Development,” on Wednesday morning, 15 March 2023.
The conference will be held in Cambodia from 15-17 March with the participation of government institutions in the disability sector, development partners, civil society organizations, private sector partners and persons with disabilities from 31 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. A total of 600 people are expected to participate in this year’s congress.
The Minister of Social Affairs, Vong Sauth, has said that the conference aims to strengthen cooperation and partnership between all stakeholders to enhance the effectiveness of community development in an environmentally friendly manner, to promote social welfare, social protection and a conducive economic environment for persons with disabilities in the region, as well as to share experiences of inclusive community-based development during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has also stated that in order to contribute to the enhanced participation of persons with disabilities in the community and in the process of socio-economic development, he encourages everyone to continue strengthening the implementation and expansion of community-based development in an effective and comprehensive manner. He calls for the adoption of the Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023-2032 for the benefit of all persons with disabilities across the region and the world.
Four Asia-Pacific Community-Based Inclusive Development Congresses have already been held in the past. The first was organized in Thailand in 2009, the second in the Philippines in 2012, the third in Japan in 2015, and the fourth in Mongolia in 2019. The 5th congress is being jointly hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia and the CBID/CBR Asia Pacific Network.